Be careful! Your favorite food may contain parasites, so be sure to eat less!

The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming, and you will definitely prepare a lot of delicious food, such as drunken shrimp, sashimi, steak, snails... But did you know that there may be parasites in these delicacies. It is scary to think that they will wander in your body after eating them. I heard that some people suffered brain damage and blindness after being infected with parasites. Remember the following foods and see if there are any that you like?

1Which foods have parasites ? Shrimp and crab

Shrimp and crabs may contain lung flukes, and ordinary washing or soaking in wine, vinegar or boiling water may not necessarily kill these lung flukes.

Lung fluke mainly lives in the lungs. After infection, symptoms such as cough, chest pain, hemoptysis, difficulty breathing, and fishy sputum will appear. Some patients may develop complications such as pleural effusion, pleural thickening, and empyema. If it migrates to the brain, the patient may also experience unsteady gait, epilepsy, and even paralysis.

river snail

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Sashimi

In recent years, Japanese food has become very popular in China. Many Chinese people have fallen in love with it, and the most distinctive dish in Japanese food is sashimi. Sashimi is fresh and delicious, but it can also pose a threat to health because it is the cradle of liver flukes. If it is not clean, eating too much can cause liver fluke disease.

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It causes liver damage, the main symptoms of which are dull pain in the liver area, enlarged liver, indigestion, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. Severely infected people may develop cirrhosis or even death.

Eel

Yellow eel is a favorite food of many people in life. The fish meat is very delicious, and the yellow eel contains high nutrients that can meet the needs of the human body.

However, it contains the most parasites in its body, including Jawstomidae, which can only be killed by heating the food above 70°C for 4-5 minutes. Stir-frying, blanching, insufficient heating time or temperature, and simply dipping in vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice or brewing with wine generally cannot kill them. This shows that this parasite has extremely strong vitality.

So you must be careful when cleaning it. You can pinch it with your hands or cut a layer of skin to see, like bloodshot, or very obvious. This parasite can migrate in the human body, wherever it goes, it will cause harm. In severe cases, it can cause epilepsy, paralysis and brain herniation.

Tender steak

Steak is a delicacy from the West. It is popular in China and is loved by the public. There is something particular about eating steak, that is, the degree of doneness of the steak. Generally, steaks are cooked to medium or medium rare to keep them fresh and tender, although steaks of this degree of doneness taste good.

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People who like to eat raw steaks often think that such steaks are "chewy" and "beefy". Little do they know that this "fashionable" and "bloodthirsty" eating habit also carries the risk of parasitic diseases. It may cause abdominal discomfort, muscle pain, indigestion, diarrhea or weight loss. The worms sometimes escape from the anus, causing anal itching.

2 How to eat to prevent parasite invasion

01Try not to eat raw food

Parasites are not resistant to heat or cold, so they can be effectively killed by heating or low temperature treatment.

Relevant EU regulations recommend that aquatic products should be frozen so that every part of them is below -20°C. After being frozen for 24 hours, the parasites will be killed and the product can be eaten safely. The US FDA also states that heating food to 60°C or above can effectively kill parasites.

However, for foods like crayfish and snails that may contain a lot of parasites and are difficult to clean, the most effective way to prevent insects from entering their bodies is to cook them before eating. The cooking temperature must reach above 100°C and last for a period of time to achieve the effect of high-temperature disinfection.

However, Chongqing foodies are very sad. How can they avoid eating raw food? At this time, they must pay attention to the source of raw materials. If they feel uncomfortable, they should seek medical attention as soon as possible to kill the parasites in their cradle.

02Separate raw and cooked food

Another important reason for parasitic infection is mixing raw and cooked food.

If the cutting board and knife are used to cut both raw and cooked foods, there is a chance of infection.

Therefore, it is best to prepare many knives and cutting boards in the kitchen, and store raw, cooked food and fruits separately.

Usually, raw meat should be cleaned and disinfected before use to avoid cross infection.

Utensils that have been used to hold raw fish and shrimp are no longer used to hold cooked dishes, cold dishes, and other foods that are eaten directly.

03Pay attention to diet and personal hygiene

Wash your hands frequently. Parasite eggs may attach to clothes, desks, and even door handles through various channels, so it is very important to develop the habit of washing your hands before meals. Warn children not to suck their fingers or scratch around the anus (which may cause pinworm infection).

04Do not touch, buy or eat wild animals

On February 24, 2020, the 16th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress voted to pass the "Decision on Comprehensively Banning Illegal Wildlife Trade, Eliminating the Bad Habit of Excessive Consumption of Wildlife, and Effectively Protecting the Life, Health and Safety of the People", which clearly prohibits the consumption of wild animals. Wild animals contain a large number of parasites and have strong resistance to high temperatures. Therefore, if you want to eat wild animals, you must remember to cook them thoroughly and never eat them raw.

Source: Chongqing Tianji Network Co., Ltd.

This article is compiled from: Tencent Medical Dictionary, Popular Science China, Helian Life, Family Doctor, Chongqing Emergency Release

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